What He Didn't Know
by Gooniegirl3333
Summary: My idea of what should have happened at the end of "Time Bomb" 8x23. Mentions of "WISC" and one OC developed by BlindedBySmoke. A one shot! Please R&R!


Ryan stood in the locker room gathering his things. The day got from bad to worse to just...strange, and he was ready for it to be over. Nevins was dead, Stetler was in jail, and maybe for the first time since joining the lab, he felt part of a family-the kind that sticks up for one another. His locker was immaculate, occupied with a few hygiene items, two backup shirts, and a some pictures-including one of him and a girl most of the lab wouldn't talk to him about. As Ryan began to grab his jacket from the locker, he heard shuffling passing the door.

"Hey." It was Eric Delko. "You checking out early?"

"Yeah," Ryan said with a sigh. "H told me to go take care of the mess you all so lovingly left for me at my place." They both chuckled.

"Sorry about that," Eric said, slowly passing through the threshold of the door.

"Hey, you guys were doing your job. I would probably do it to your place, too," Ryan said with a smile. "And thanks-again. It meant a lot to me to know the team wouldn't leave me rotting in that God-forsaken lock-up."

"No problem." Eric let out a big sigh. "So, do need any help getting your place cleaned up? The rest of us could swing by after our shifts are over."

"And get your fingerprints all over my stuff? Thanks for the offer, but I have a system."

"Ok," Eric chuckled and signaled a goodbye to Ryan. Walking out, he stopped. _Just ask him_, he thought. _ It's not gonna hurt to just ask._ "Oh, uh, one more thing. Nah, it's probably none of my business." Ryan cut him short.

"No, go ahead. What's up?" Ryan asked. Eric let out another deep sigh before continuing.

"Well, you know how I was having to investigate everyone on the team? Well-and this doesn't leave the room- but I had to subpoena bank records. And like I said, it's really none of my business, and it could have easily been on there for so many other reasons and-," Ryan cut him off again.

"Dude, will you just spit it ou-"

"Why was there a transaction to a therapist on your bank records?" The room became quiet. Ryan looked at Eric once more before looking down at the floor. Finally, he spoke.

"You're right. It IS none of your business," Ryan said sternly. Eric felt that to be his cue, and he began exiting from the room. _Just tell him_, Ryan thought. _It's not gonna hurt to just finally tell him._ "Hey, Eric. Remember Mark Gantry?" Eric turned around and stood with a blank face. "He was my GA sponsor that worked at the racetrack."

"Oh, yeah! The veterinarian. How are he and his son-Billy was it?-how are they doing?" Eric walked back into the locker room.

"They're fine. Finally safe. Anyway, when Mark left the first time, I decided to take over his debt he owed," Ryan continued.

"Damn, how much did he owe? A couple grand?"

"Try 100 grand," Ryan confessed. Eric began to shake his head in disappointment.

"Wolfe!" Eric exclaimed as he paced the room. _Always trying to help people for the wrong reasons_, he thought.

"I know," Ryan said sheepishly as he turned his back to the lockers to lean on, his head still hanging. It was obvious it had taken him a while to gain any courage at all to admit this to anyone besides a therapist. Eric finally stopped his pacing and faced Ryan again whose arms were now crossed.

"Well, I can't imagine Sarnoff taking a liking to this at all," Eric stated. Ryan chuckled a bit.

"Ah, no. No, he did not." Ryan again breathed deep to find the courage to say what he wanted to say over a year ago. "And to prove his point," Ryan paused briefly, scratching his forehead and taking a gulp, "he- uh, he had his men kidnap me and torture me into covering up a murder. And when I refused, he had Billy kidnapped, promising his men would do the same to him that they did to me." Ryan glanced up just enough to notice Eric speechless as he sat down on the bench adjacent to the lockers beside him. Silence once again ensued, but for much longer this time. _God_, thought Ryan, _I wish Motley was here._

"The broker case last year," Eric finally whispered in revelation.

"Look, Eric," Ryan said as he faced the shocked CSI,"I know what I did was stupid, we established that. But there was a little boy's life at stake!"

"You could have come to us, Wolfe! Your team!" Eric exclaimed, now standing up.

"And said what? That my gambling problem came back to bite me in the ass again! It wouldn't have matter because you wouldn't have listened. You and Calleigh were too busy sneaking around! And in any case, I was NOT about to pull anyone into this. You were already having to deal with your dad, and Calleigh with her health, and...," Eric threw his hands up in disbelief as he paced the room again. Ryan dug deep to persuade Eric from his obvious anger of the situation. "Besides, this was MY problem. Not yours, not Calleigh's, and hell, even if he DID come to my rescue, it wasn't H's problem either! It

was mine to deal with, alone!" Eric walked toward Ryan until they were face to face.

"No, Ryan! A threat to anyone on the team becomes a threat to the team itself! If you have a problem, then we have a problem! That's what families do, we stick up for each other, ALWAYS!" Silence, again. The mood in the room soon settled as Ryan turned back to his things near his locker.

_I didn't know he believed we were family_, thought Ryan.

"So, the therapist? Was it because of what happened?" Eric asked. Ryan nodded his head. "Then why not see one through the department?

"And let it get out that I was seeing a shrink? Ha, no thanks. I'd rather pay for one, hence the moonlighting jobs I took." Ryan picked up his things, including the picture with the girl, and began to walk out.

"I'm sorry you thought you couldn't talk to us," Eric said. Ryan stopped short of the door, his back to Eric.

"Just so you know, that last payment was from only one session. I told the therapist I didn't need her anymore." Ryan began to walk again. "Oh, and don't tell anyone about this, especially Calleigh."

Eric, still a tad disappointed not only in Ryan but in the team itself, sat back down on the bench.

"I can't believe he didn't know we're family."


End file.
